Moving-picture machine.



J. A. CROSBY. MOVING PICTURE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1909.

Patented June 15, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. A. CROSBY.

. movme PICTURE 'MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25,1909. 925,159, Patented June 15, 1909. g If A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. o o o o 0 I5 0 JAMES A. CROSBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SELIG POLYSOOPE COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MOVING-PICTURE MACHINE Specification of- Letters Patent.

?atented June 15, 1969.

Application filed Januaiy 25, 1909. Serial No. 474,0 3

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, JAMES A. CRosBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moving-Picture Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more particularly to the feeding mechanism of a movmg picture machine; and the object of the invention is to provide means for securing an intermittent rotation for the feeding drum of the moving picture film. In mechanism of this kind it is customary to feed forward the film in unison with the rotation of the shutter, and in the present invention an intermittent rotation is applied to a pair of spur feeding wheels, the teeth of which are adapted to engage with the holes in the margins of the film, whichmethod of feeding serves to carry -forward the films smoothly and uniformly and Without objectionable vibration, regardless of the speed of travel of the film.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lock for holding the feeding wheels rigid during the interval between each for ward movement, thereby securing a positive forward movement of predetermined length and a sharp arrest of the film thereafter.

Further objects will appear from a detailed description of the invention, which consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevati'on of so much of a movingpicture machine as pertains to the present invention, showing one of the supporting posts broken away; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, side elevations of the operating cam and lock in different positions of movement, said views being taken from the reverse side of the machine to that shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 a sectional plan view through the operating mechanism.

The moving picture machine, as regards its principal structural features, is of an ordinet-y type, comprising a floor plate a roof plate 8, a front plate 9, and a rear plate 10. The roof and floor plates are connected, at the corners, by four posts 11, although, obvieusly, the framework of the machine might be otherwise constructed. Behind the rear plate is a guide frame 12 which is hinged, at its lower end 13, which guide frame is of an old and. well known type and construction,

serves to position the film during its travel through t emachine. The present invention is not concerned with these features of and further description is deemed unnecessary.

To the rear plate 10 is secured a journal sleeve 14, which provides a mounting for a substantially vertical transmission shaft 15, having at its lower end a bevel pinion .6 meshing with a driving pinion 17 which latter pinion is mounted upon a power shaft 18 journaled within a bracket 19. The power shaft has also mounted thereon a driving spur gear wheel 20, which meshes with a spur pinion 21 upon a cam shaft 22, which shaft also carries a fly wheel 23 to regulate and equalize the movements of the machine. The machine is driven by a handle 2% on the power shaft, or in any other suitable way. The vertical shaft 15 is provided, at its upper end, with a driving bevel pinion 25 which meshes with a driven bevel pinion 26 upon a feed shaft 27, suitably journaled at the up end of the sleeve 14; and the feed shaft is provided, in alinement with the hinged guide plate 12, with toothed upper feed rolls 28, which are adapted to feed down the film from a suitable drum or reel, not shown, the film being held in engagement with the feed rolls bymeans of a compression roller 29 located to the rear of the feed wheel. The invention is not concerned in these features of the ma chine, and other feeding mechanism might be employed.

The invention more particularly relates to the lower or power driven feed wheels 30, which, as shown in Fig. 6. are two in number and are arranged to project through slots 31 in the rear plate 10, and are provided, at recurrent intervals around their peripheries, with teeth which are suitably spaced to engage with the holes in the margins of a strip of film.

The feed wheels are integrally formed on a hub 33, which is rigidly mounted upon a shaft 34 journaled within inner and outer journal blocks 35 and 36, which are screwed or otherwise rigidly secured to the inner face of the rear plate of the machine in position to bring the peripheries of the feed wheels into register with the hinged guide plate 12, which positions the film during its travels through the machine.

The shaft 34 is provided, on its inner end, with a disk 37 navmg at determined intervals, inwardly pro ecting cylindrical studs 38, which, in the present instance, are

The teeth in the feed' six in number. wheels are so spaced that the film'will be drawn forward-the proper distance by the engagement of a predetermined number of teeth with holes in the margins of the film,

and in the present instan'cefour teeth of the feed Wheels will engage withthe film during each forward movement thereof. The studs onthedisk coeperate with a feed plate 39, provided, in itsv inner end, with aslot or recess 40 of a suitable size to readily en a e successively with the studs on the is I .The feed plate is secured to the forward rail of a square; open vertically reciprocable frame 41, which frame is slidably mounted within a rectangular horizontal reciprocat- .ing guide frame 42, which latter is held and guided Within uide plates 45 and '46, re spectively, Whic plates are screwed or-otherwise rigidly secured in parallel relation to one another on the face of a supporting plate 47, the rear edge of" which is rigidly secured to the inner face of the rear plate 10 of the machine, asbest shown in Fig, -6. The inner-vertical reciprocating frame sur- ...rou'nds a cam disk 48, which is of substantially triangular formation, the edges being near its end,- on its forward face, with alocking block 51, which lies c'losely adjacent "to the face'of the disk 37 and is adapted, at

roper intervals'in the reciprocation of the frame, to be drawn in between adjacent studs on the disk, so as to lockthedisk at such intervals against either a forward or return movement. These are the intervals at which the feed wheels are intended to be at rest so that at these periods of time the film will be positively locked and held, regardless of the ra idityof its feeding movement. The locking block occupies a osi-' tion nearfthe end of thetongue 49, an will be thrown tolockin position with each forward movement of the frame with which the tongue is connected, whereas the feeding of the disk will take place with each rearward movement of the frame, the feeding and locking movements being exactly timed to secure a perfect operation of the machine.

. The reci rocating frames. are inclosed and protecte by means of a forward housing 52, vand the locking members are inclosed and protected by means of a rearward housing 53, which housings are preferably intende to be sufficiently ti -ht to permit the mechanism above descrihed to run in a bath of oil, if so desired; The cam shaft. 22' has mounted thereon a bevel pinion] 54, which en ages with a bevel inion 55 on the inner end of .a shutter sha t 56, which carries a shutter 57 of any suitable and well known st le. Y i

' The operation of themachine is as follows: The end of the film will be drawn 'down into position'to engage'with the teeth of the up er feed rollsand lower feed wheels, being gui ed and positioned in the machine in the usual Thereafter, when the driving shaft manner. is actuated, the driving spur gear wheel 20,

which meshes with the spur pinion '21', will im art rotation to the. cam shaft 22, which wil rotate the triangular cam 48 to various positions, as shown in'Figs. 2, 3,..4, and 5.

Beginning with the. arts in the positionshowniin Fig. 2, in Wlii h both of the reciprocating frames are thrown forward, and the vertical reciprocating inner frame is lowered, and in which the locking block occupies a position intermediate two of the studs, the first movement of the cam will draw back both the inner and outer frames into the position shown in Fig. 3, which throws the locking block out of the path of travel of the studs,

and throws the slotted feeding late into en-' gagement with one of the stu s.

tinued movement ofthe cam serves to ele-' The convate the inner reciprocating frame, without changing the p0sit1on of the outer 'reciproeating frame, and this movement serves to lift the feed dplate and with it the previously engaged stu in the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby imparting a artial revolution to the disk 37, which partia revolution is imparted to the feed wheels, the teeth of which thereby serving to draw down the film sufficiently to permit an exposure or an exhibition to be made. The cdntinued movement of the cam, therefore, throws the parts into the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the outer i'e- 'ciprocating frame is thrown to its forward or locking'position, and the inner frame to its elevated position; after which the-inner frame moves back to the forward position in preparation for a succeeding feeding movement of the tcharacter previously described.

The upper feed rolls,- which are positively and co stan'tly driven by the gearing previously described, are of lesser diameter than the lower-feeding wheels which are in-- termittently driven, so that the increased diameter of the lower-wheels will. compensate for the interrupted feeding movement, so

that the film Wlll be fed forward with sufficient uniformity by the two sets of'feeding devices. In view of the fact that the film will not be stretched-tight between the upper andlower feedingdevirieait will not be neenected, an outer reciprocating essary to provide intermittent mechanism for the upper feed rolls, sufficient slack being afforded in the film to prevent the tearing thereof.

tance each time without variation and With- 7 out any vibration, which might tend to impair the resultant picture. is afiorded between each movement of the feeding rolls, in view of the fact that the 15 locking block in each case will move into engagement between an adjacent pair of studs before the slotted bar has moved back out of engagement with another of the studs, so that there will be absolutely no possibility of any accidental movement of the feed wheels in the intervals between their feeding movements, regardless of the rate of speed at a which' the machine is operated. The movement, moreover, is easy and positive and without any jerkin whichmight tend to stretch or strain the In, and the compact arrangement of the mechanism permits the parts to be inclosed in a bathof oil, which serves to render the operation of the machine practically noiseless.

What I regard as n'ew and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a moviiig picture machine, the combination of a feed wheel, a disk connected with the feed wheel and provided with projections, a member adapted to successively engage said projections, an inner reciprocating frame with which said member is conframe carrying the mner reciprocating frame, and means for actuating said frames to impart to the engaging member the movements re uired to impart an intermittent feed to the'( isk, substantially as described.

2. In a moving picture machine, the combination of a feed wheel, a disk connected "with the feed wheel and provided with projections, a member adapted to successively engage said projections, an inner reciprocating frame with whichsaid member is connected, an outer reciprocating frame carrymg the inner reciprocating frame, means for actuating'said frames to impart to the engaging member the movements required to impart an intermittent feed to the disk, and a applied either to a taking or A positive lock locking device on the outer frame adapted to be moved to a position intermediate the adjacent pro ections onthe disk during the intervals of rest thereof, substantially as de' scribed.

3. In a moving picture machine, the combination of afeed wheel, a disk connected therewith and provided, on its face, with pro jections, a slotted feed plate ada ted to cooperate with the projections on t e disks, an inner frame carrying the feed plate, an outer frame within which the inner frame is slidably mounted, a guideway for slidably mounting the outer frame to move in a direction transverse to the line of movement of the inner frame within the outerframe,

and a cam located within the inner frame and adapted to impart thereto movements required. to bring the slotted feed plate, first into engagement with a projection, second to move the feed plate in a direction to impart artial revolution to the projection, and astly to withdraw the feed plate and return the same to initial position, substantially as described.

- 4. In a moving picture machine, the combination of a feed Wheel, a disk connected therewith and provided, on its face, with projections, a slotted feed plate ada operate with the projections on t e disk, an inner frame carrying the feed plate, an outer frame Within which the inner frame is-slidably mounted, a guideway for mounting the outer frame to move in a direction transverse to the line of movement of the inner frame within the outer frame, a cam located within the inner frame and adapted to impart thereto movements required to bring the slotted feed plate, first into engagement with a pro'ection,second tomove the feed plate in a direction to imart partial revolution to the rojection, and astly to withdraw the-feed p the same to initial'position, a tongue on the outer frame, and a locking block on the tongue adapted to be drawn into locking position between adjacent projections simultaneously With the withdrawing of the feed plate from a position of engagement, substantially as-described.

. JAMES A. CROSBY.

ted to coslidably ate and return 

